Casting Shadows Read Online Free PDF Page A

I whispered.
    Dad turned the car onto the road that led to the commune.
    ‘He said yes, that he did understand, but that he was still determined to show me he had changed.’ Dad looked across at me again. ‘He said he was changing because of you . . .
for you.’

5
    After lunch, I spent the afternoon reading in the apple orchard. It was another beautiful day and, after the tension of Flynn’s visit, I could feel myself totally
relaxing in the sunshine. By 3 p.m. the wind died completely and I was sweltering hot, even in the shade. I took off my shoes and rolled the waist of my skirt right over, so the material was up at
the top of my thighs, not flapping around my legs. It didn’t help much but I didn’t have a bikini here and I didn’t want to strip to my underwear with so many people around.
    I fell asleep under one of the trees, waking with a start to the sound of a breaking twig. A boy about my age was standing beside the tree opposite.
    I sat bolt upright and yanked at my skirt, tugging it down over my legs. The boy’s startled eyes followed my hands and when I glanced back up at him a flush was creeping over his pale
cheeks.
    ‘Who are you?’ I said.
    ‘Hi.’ He offered me an embarrassed smile. ‘I’m Leo. My dad and I are visiting today, looking at the spare apartment.’ His eyes were a pale, clear blue, startling
against his very fair skin. He was actually quite good-looking, but there was something awkward about his manner – like he wasn’t comfortable in himself.
    I scrambled to my feet, pulling my skirt right down. Dad had mentioned earlier that people would be coming to view the spare apartment.
    ‘This is the apple orchard,’ I said, rather unnecessarily as the trees we were standing under were groaning with tiny, unripe apples.
    ‘Do you live here?’ Leo asked. He wasn’t tall – maybe just a few centimetres taller than me – and his blond hair fell in soft waves. He wore nice clothes, I noted.
Cool jeans and a T-shirt with a target pattern on the front.
    ‘No, I’m just visiting my dad.’ I paused. I knew I should have given my name, but I’d always hated saying it to people for the first time. It probably made me come across
as aloof, even arrogant, but it was so embarrassing when people didn’t hear properly what I’d said and I had to repeat it or spell it out for them.
    ‘You’re River?’ Leo said.
    ‘Yes,’ I said, grateful that he had already heard of me. ‘So what do you think of the place? Does your dad like it?’
    ‘I think so,’ he said. ‘It’s a bit weird but . . .’ He tailed off and stared at the ground.
    ‘Yeah,’ I said, remembering how odd the whole commune set-up had seemed when Dad had first moved here. ‘You get used to it.’
    Leo nodded. ‘D’you know what Norton Napier College is like?’
    ‘Er, sorry, never heard of it.’
    ‘It’s the local sixth form college,’ Leo explained. ‘If we do move here that’s where I’ll be going next term.’
    I shook my head. I hadn’t even known there
was
a sixth form college near here.
    There was a short pause.
    ‘So is it just you and your dad?’ I said.
    Leo nodded again. ‘Yeah.’ He shuffled from foot to foot. ‘My mum died last year.’
    ‘Oh.’ I didn’t know what to say. ‘I’m sorry.’
    Leo looked embarrassed. ‘Dad went a bit mad after,’ he said. ‘Started going out all the time. Bringing people back in the middle of the night. Getting drunk. So dull might be
good for a bit.’
    I nodded slowly. I felt a little uncomfortable. I’m not a big one for lots of phony small talk, but there was something a bit desperate about the way Leo had launched into his life story
after just a few seconds.
    ‘Sorry.’ Leo blushed again, as if he was reading my mind. ‘Too much information, yeah?’
    ‘It’s fine,’ I said, hoping he hadn’t thought I was rude. ‘Sounds like you’ve been through a lot, you know . . .’
    ‘Hey, River!’ Dad was calling. He sounded quite a